Ofsted has top marks for school

STAFF and pupils at Shade Primary School in Todmorden are celebrating afer earning great marks in their Ofsted report.

Head Helen Clarkson was delighted inspectors concluded that the school continues to be good. It was particularly poignant as this was the school’s first inspection since she was appointed head three years ago.

“Myself, the staff and the governors are incredibly proud of our report,” she said, “as it highlights the real strengths of our school and recognises the hard work that has been put in to create a culture of learning and high expectation for all.”

She said the highlights of the report were:

l you know your community very well and you are clear about the important role the school plays in that community

l you have created and maintain a culture of learning and high expectations for all

l there are strong and effective links between the monitoring of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching

l governors are ambitious for the school and for the community it serves.

They are effective in their support and challenge of you and your team of staff

l parents and carers are very supportive of the school and the head. One parent described Shade as ‘a very happy school’.

l children get off to a flying start at school – they are happy and safe and increasingly independent, yet aware of the needs of others

l the head and staff are diligent and consistent in their commitment to identifying and removing any barriers to learning and success for these pupils. Pupils are happy at, and proud of, their school; one said at morning break: ‘It’s fun here!’

Inspectors also praised the special educational needs co-ordinator was being very effective.

Additional funding was being well spent and staff expectations for those pupils were high. As a result, those pupils made good progress from their starting points.

Mrs Clarkson said the next steps are to continue to strengthen the whole-school approaches to writing by further developing pupils’ understanding of the links between what they are writing and its intended audience.

She also wants pupils to have opportunities to write at greater length and develop and deepen their understanding in subjects such as history, geography and religious education.